The surname is one of the Anglo-Norman names that arrived in Ireland in the wake of the 12th century invasion by Richard "Strongbow" de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke. The surname Nougane belongs to the large category of Anglo-Norman habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Originally, these place names were prefixed by de, which means from in French. The name of the Nougane family comes from one of the many places called Nogent in France. The Gaelic form of the surname Nougane is Nuinseann.

Nougane Spelling Variations

During the lifetime of an individual person, his name was often spelt by church officials and medieval scribes the way it sounded. An examination of the many different origins of each name has revealed many spelling variations for the name: Nugent, Nogent, Newgent, Neugent, Newgant, Newgeant, Nuegent, Nougent, Newjeant, Nujent, Noigent, Nuigent, Nuijent, Nushend, Newshent, Newshand, Neushant and many more.

Early Notables of the Nougane family (pre 1700)

Notable amongst the family up to this time was Sir Christopher Nugent, 6th BaronDelvin (1544-1602), an Irish nobleman and writer who was arrested on suspicion of treason against Queen Elizabeth I of England; Richard Nugent, 1st Earl Of Westmeath (1583-1642), an Irish nobleman and politician, imprisoned for plotting against the... Another 76 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Nougane Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Nougane family to the New World and Oceana

In the mid-19th century, Ireland experienced one of the worst periods in its entire history. During this decade in order to ease the pressure of the soil, which was actually depleted by the effects of the previous years' grain crops, landowners forced tenant farmers and peasants onto tiny plots of land that barely provided the basic sustenance a family required. Conditions were worsened, though, by the population of the country, which was growing fast to roughly eight million. So when the Great Potato Famine of the mid-1840s hit, starvation and diseases decimated the population. Thousands of Irish families left the country for British North America and the United States. The new immigrants were often accommodated either in the opening western frontiers or as cheap unskilled labor in the established centers. In early passenger and immigration lists there are many immigrants bearing the name Nougane: Christopher Nugent who settled in Virginia in 1638; as well as Arthur, Charles, Daniel, Edward, Hugh, Henry, Isabella, Jane, John, Margaret, Martin, Michael, Patrick, Peter, Richard, Robert, Terence, Thomas and William Nugent, who all arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860..